About

All art invites social interaction; yet in the case of socially engaged art it is the process itself - the fabrication of the work - that is social. - Pablo Helguera

Creating, whether painting in a school building or making sand castles on the beach, is what grounds and makes me feel connected. Making art is my way of connecting and communicating. The philosopher John Dewey said, “Art is the most effective mode of communication that exists.” To use art as a means of communication for engagement with the community is my goal with many of the projects that I facilitate. The Fire Bread Project engaged a hundred Hampden Academy high school students in baking bread over fire as a means of connecting with family and community. The Fragments of Repair Project engaged members of the Hampden community at the farmers market. We painted shards of pottery as we had conversations about issues related to the pandemic. The Postal Project sent hundreds of letters out to artists and museums with postage paid envelopes containing invitations to participate in an exchange as a way to support postal workers and create awareness to the troubles of the US Postal Service. These artistic endeavors are a way of engaging others in projects that produce an outcome, but the process is the more interesting part of the project... As an intermedial artist, it is the intersection of art making and the community engagement that is the true media.

Currently I reside in Maine and work as the Museum Educator and Assistant Curator at the Zillman Art Museum in Bangor. I grew up in Southern California and have lived in many cities on both the East and West Coasts. I am happy to now be grounded in the rural beauty of Maine.